Brains and Brawn – Testing Reason and Strength

The 24th Annual tournament kicks off Catholic Schools Week

The 24th annual Brains and Brawn Tournament was an opportunity for Catholic School students in 6th-8th grade, from across the diocese, to showcase their talents in basketball (Brawn) or by testing their knowledge in 6 categories (Brains). Aquinas Catholic Schools hosted the tournament and a Mass was celebrated by Bishop William Patrick Callahan at the end of the competition.

In the Brawn basketball competition this year, there were nine teams competing for the title. In Girls Brawn, St. Mary’s School in Marathon earned the sportsmanship award and Newman Catholic Middle School in Wausau took the sportsmanship title for Boys Brawn.

For the Brains competition, the teams had to answer nine questions in six different categories including Religion, Social Studies, Science, Language Arts, General Knowledge and Math. St. Patrick’s School in Sparta took home the Brains sportsmanship title this year.

Bishop Callahan celebrated a Mass at St. Joseph the Workman Cathedral and said in his homily that celebrating the Mass for the Brains and Brawn students and being a part of the day is one of the highlights of his year. The students also participated in the Mass as altar servers, lectors and gift bearers.

At Mass, Bishop Callahan reminded those in attendance that Catholic Schools are not simply an alternative to public schools. They are, according to the bishop, extensions of parents’ obligation to teach the Faith to their children. They are schools where the students are taught how to develop a relationship with Christ, where faith and reason are stressed daily and where education is done better with less.

Superintendent Tom Reichenbacher said it was another fantastic year and thinks that, besides being a fun experience; it’s a great opportunity for students from across the diocese to gather together.

“I think the kids really get a lot out of the day but mostly it’s nice for them to compete against other Catholic School students,” he said. “Every student there is from a Catholic School and they don’t get to experience that camaraderie often. They get to compete with other students just like them.”